Central and Southern Illinois is the beating heart of manufacturing growth in the state, and its workers represent the best of what makes America strong. But the challenges facing our region are the same challenges facing communities across the country: too many good-paying jobs have disappeared, costs have gone up, and economic opportunity has become harder to find.
That’s why I’m focused on bringing manufacturing back home, strengthening American supply chains, and investing in a 21st-century Heartland economy. By supporting American industry, modernizing our infrastructure, and creating good-paying jobs, we can ensure our communities, and those across the nation, have the opportunity to thrive.
- I was proud to help establish the White House Made in America Office to ensure that American companies and manufacturers get top priority in federal projects.
- In Congress, I launched a Climate Jobs Task Force to focus on building our clean energy economy with good-paying union jobs in places like Central and Southern Illinois.
- Since World War I, a shoe manufacturing company in Belleville has been equipping our military service members with combat boots. During my first term in Congress, I was thrilled to announce nearly $20 million in contracts for Belleville Boots and work on a bipartisan basis to support American military equipment manufacturing in the National Defense Authorization Act.
- I was proud to take on U.S. Steel and demand better for the community of Granite City. Together, with the United Steelworkers, we secured the commitments for long-term security of the mill and watched them rehire 400 workers.
- Our region is also a national leader in the development of cutting-edge agricultural technology. I was proud to advocate for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Fermentation and Agriculture Bio-manufacturing (IFAB) Hub to receive designation as a national Tech Hub. This designation further establishes the Decatur to Champaign region as America’s Ag Tech Corridor and will help to attract additional federal investment to our region.
